What exactly is the point of the Arts course?

Fionn MacCool

inb4 there isn't any ololololo

Why do they make you pick 4 subjects, 2 of which have absolutely no bearing on your degree and only serve to impede your concentration on the 2 you actually care about?

I thought the whole point of a degree was to have detailed knowledge of a fairly specialised field?

How does it even work anyway, I know you drop 2 subjects after 1st Year, do you then graduate with a joint honours in the other 2? Do you do your dissertation in one and get your degree in that?

It just seems to be "whats that? you want to study Economics? Ok, but we're gonna try and distract you with these other ****e subjects you have no interest in".

barnaclebill

4 years drinking, 645 hangovers and a piece of paper at the end!

c_man

barnaclebill wrote: »

4 years drinking, 645 hangovers and a piece of paper at the end!

3 years I believe. Unless of course... repeats

Fionn MacCool wrote: »

inb4 there isn't any ololololo

Why do they make you pick 4 subjects, 2 of which have absolutely no bearing on your degree and only serve to impede your concentration on the 2 you actually care about?

I thought the whole point of a degree was to have detailed knowledge of a fairly specialised field?

Typically a Liberal Arts degree was a course along which the student was exposed to many differing areas. A "broadening the mind degree" if you will. If that's still what it is in Ireland is up for debate....

I didn't do Arts myself, but I don't think it's fair to level into it for not "detailed knowledge of a fairly specialised field," that's not the point. And education for its own sake is no bad thing.

Fionn MacCool

c_man wrote: »

Typically a Liberal Arts degree was a course along which the student was exposed to many differing areas. A "broadening the mind degree" if you will. If that's still what it is in Ireland is up for debate....

Isn't that what the 7-8 years of learning trivial pish in secondary school is for?

The Cool

Fionn MacCool wrote: »

inb4 there isn't any ololololo

Why do they make you pick 4 subjects, 2 of which have absolutely no bearing on your degree and only serve to impede your concentration on the 2 you actually care about?

I thought the whole point of a degree was to have detailed knowledge of a fairly specialised field?

How does it even work anyway, I know you drop 2 subjects after 1st Year, do you then graduate with a joint honours in the other 2? Do you do your dissertation in one and get your degree in that?

It just seems to be "whats that? you want to study Economics? Ok, but we're gonna try and distract you with these other ****e subjects you have no interest in".

Well for one thing, first year is easy anyway so why not add two subjects to your degree ones? And what if you don't know what two subjects you want to do? No harm in learning about something you're interested in, but not to the extent of actually getting a degree in, on the side. Also, it means you get to dabble in a few areas before deciding which paths to follow. For example, I'm studying languages, but couldn't decide which ones to follow - French anyway, but couldnt pick between Italian or Spanish, so in first year I did both. By the end of the year I knew that Spanish was what I wanted to pursue, but I still loved studying Italian anyway, and I love the fact that I have a bit of the language and understanding of the culture.

It also means you see what other subjects and stuff are like, so you don't end up being one of those knobs who thinks other degrees are a pile of crap

How it works - yes, you do four in first year, then you pick two to keep on that your degree will be in. You study both equally for the remainder of your degree, earning the same amount of credits in each. Some subjects have dissertations, some don't - eg Geography and History students have to do a dissertation I believe, some others have "projects" such as IT. Some have neither - I don't have to do one for Spanish, and there was an elective module to do one in French. That said, I don't have any less work than anyone else, as I seem to be doing on average 4 translations a week as well as practical language hours, grammar classes, and plenty of culture subjects. I have about twice the contact hours of my friends doing subjects like Legal Science and English.

Yes there are people doing Arts degrees who don't give a toss, are doing it because they wanted the student life but had no clear idea of what they wanted to do with themselves, and studying subjects they will probably never use in their lives. You have that in every course though I suppose. However you also have people like me who love culture and the arts, and couldn't imagine themselves doing anything else.

Also, the point of an Arts degree? Us Arts students are as important as engineers, science, etc. Most of your teachers in school were once arts students. I hope to work in translation - think of all the subtitled movies you've seen, books you've read that were originally written in other languages. Turn on the TV - many of the actors you see, as well as the scriptwriters, filmmakers etc will have an English degree, as well as the people who compiled the newspaper you're reading. Philosophy is one of those subjects that people think is silly, but actually applies to everything, especially say the fields of medicine and law. Just because we're not building something or creating something in a test tube doesnt mean that our degree is a waste of time.

Fionn MacCool

Fair enough, once i waded through all the hyperdefensive waffle I got a few answers to my Qs

ValJester

Fionn MacCool wrote: »

How does it even work anyway, I know you drop 2 subjects after 1st Year, do you then graduate with a joint honours in the other 2? Do you do your dissertation in one and get your degree in that?
.

Generally both have dissertations/extended essays of 7000 words, which adds up to a full one in terms of length.

The Cool

Do they?! The Geography one is 9000...

DoireNod

What is the point of the Arts course? What is the point of any course?

hokeypokey

The merits of some subject combinations in arts can definately be questioned. Soc and Pol and Philosophy, you have to question their uses...

Arts has alot of hugely talented and intelligent people but at the same time alot of these people are wasters and waste their talent...

The grading of arts also seems to be an issue as peope who clearly dont have the proper aptitude or discipline for proper study are let through the system. this clearly devalues the arts degree and in nuig especially...

DoireNod

I'd argue that every subject has its respective use and more importantly, may be of significant value to those who are actually interested in subjects like philosophy and Soc&Pol.

Every subject has its wasters. They exist in every walk of life.

And regarding the grading of arts subjects, I absolutely accept and agree with your point, although I think that there are far too many in college to begin with, thus devaluing third level education as a whole.

Columc

The Cool wrote: »

Also, the point of an Arts degree? Us Arts students are as important as engineers, science, etc. Most of your teachers in school were once arts students.

Pity the quality is'nt there, you rarely find good teachers in schools these days without paying for it.

The Cool wrote: »

Turn on the TV - many of the actors you see, as well as the scriptwriters, filmmakers etc will have an English degree, as well as the people who compiled the newspaper you're reading.

Actors... no
scriptwriters to a certain area maybe, but more then likely they would go off and do a more spcific course then Arts english degree to become a script writer.

Filmmakers thats just a nono

The Cool wrote: »

Philosophy is one of those subjects that people think is silly, but actually applies to everything, especially say the fields of medicine and law.

Thats deep!

The Cool wrote: »

Just because we're not building something or creating something in a test tube doesnt mean that our degree is a waste of time.

All my friends over the last 9 years who have come out with an arts degree ether work in a bar, gone on and did another degree/masters or is on the dole or have gone back to do teaching(cause they could not do anything else)

Most cases yes if you know what you want to do in an arts degree it will work and it is a good degree to that person. Most of the time its a filler to say "Yes I do/have gone to college" or to get into college due to the CAO system were everyone has put it in their choices somewere asa backup to get into college.

The Cool wrote: »

Yes there are people doing Arts degrees who don't give a toss, are doing it because they wanted the student life but had no clear idea of what they wanted to do with themselves, and studying subjects they will probably never use in their lives. You have that in every course though I suppose. However you also have people like me who love culture and the arts, and couldn't imagine themselves doing anything else.

There really isnt enough people in the Arts degree like yourself, granted people pick it because they really want to, they will go far. but for the kids who pick it just to goto college, wont

Skrankio-X

hokeypokey wrote: »

The merits of some subject combinations in arts can definately be questioned. Soc and Pol and Philosophy, you have to question their uses...

To name a few: Marx, Kant, Locke, Hobbes, and Jefferson were political philosophers.

Fisher Calhoun

Fionn MacCool wrote: »

Fair enough, once i waded through all the hyperdefensive waffle I got a few answers to my Qs

Funny that, once I waded through all the hyperoffensive waffle in the first post I got a few questions that needed answering

Galway K9

People that havent a clue what they wanna do, so the do it for sake of mammy and daddys money. Introducing fees for arts would be brilliant.:) Be a good detterrent and make people think twice about it.

WesternNight

Columc wrote: »

All my friends over the last 9 years who have come out with an arts degree ether work in a bar, gone on and did another degree/masters or is on the dole

That's what I'll be doing after my Arts degree, I'll be going on to postgraduate study and eventually hoping to complete the DPsychSc in Clinical Psychology. That would all be as a direct result of the primary Arts degree. I'm not really sure why you've lumped further education in with being on the dole and working in a bar (is working in a bar that terrible a well?) though.

I'm sure there are plenty of people in Arts who are there purely for the sake of having nothing better to do, that would have been me if I'd gone straight from secondary school and it would have probably been largely wasted on me. That's not the fault of the Arts course, though.

I have to say, I learned an awful lot from the subjects I've studied, even the ones I only took in first year. Three of my first year subjects were interconnected in some ways, and I found the different perspectives and approaches very useful when it came to critical thinking in essays and exams, and life in general to a certain extent.

DoireNod

Galway K9 wrote: »

People that havent a clue what they wanna do, so the do it for sake of mammy and daddys money. Introducing fees for arts would be brilliant.:) Be a good detterrent and make people think twice about it.

Slight generalisation there, no? I'm not sure if you're serious.

Galway K9

pretty much but not everyone is like that ofcourse

Ruire

Fionn MacCool wrote: »

hyperdefensive waffle

Well, you can't really state a question as accusatory and loaded as "what exactly is the point of X subject" without forcing defensiveness from someone. What degree are you doing/did you do, that we may make generalised accusations at your expense.

Fionn MacCool

Ruire wrote: »

Well, you can't really state a question as accusatory and loaded as "what exactly is the point of X subject" without forcing defensiveness from someone. What degree are you doing/did you do, that we may make generalised accusations at your expense.

Arts, that's why I'm asking about it.

DoireNod

Fionn MacCool wrote: »

Arts, that's why I'm asking about it.

It is what you want it to be. It is what you make it. You shouldn't allow others to inflict their idea of what the point of the course is. Why did you choose the course?

Fionn MacCool

DoireNod wrote: »

It is what you want it to be. It is what you make it. You shouldn't allow others to inflict their idea of what the point of the course is. Why did you choose the course?

Because I wanted to study Economics and IT but didn't want to get raped by Accounting (BIS).